Joke Factions
Among the many Forever Knight factions, there are some that have to be considered to be joke factions, as well as others that are only taken tongue in cheek. It should be pointed out that some of these comic factions do actually exist. However, others are merely running jokes, without any actual members. The following types of joke factions should be distinguished: Rude Faction Names Some faction names are really only jesting insults. The Swabbies, for example, is a term for Cousins: it refers rudely to LaCroix's hair. Similarly, the B.R.I.C.K. refers to Nick's obtuseness. Other faction names comment on fans' predilections and habits. Thus someone who accidentally misposts a comment to the mailing list might claim membership in the Oops! Faction. These are not real factions: they do not truly have any members. They are simply running jokes on the mailing list. Usually, after a while, the joke gets stale. Self-Disparaging Names By comparison, the Convent of the Decadent Sin Sisters and Nick's Harem do actually exist, though they are not factions in the original sense. Rather they are writing groups that exist so that fans with particular interests can write freely to an audience with similar tastes without having their fiction disparaged. The names of such groups are, in a way, a form of defence against criticism. The members are, so to speak, saying, "We don't take ourselves any more seriously than you do." Comic names of this sort are particularly associated with groups who write romantic/smutty fiction of one sort or another. However, they can also apply to subfactions engaged in war-related activities, such as the Not So Vestal Virgins (who are Nunkies Anonymous members) or Tracy Sue's Whiffle Bat of Doom Legion from Heck (who are Vaqueros). Factions Affliated with Props and Sets Although fans are particularly drawn to affiliate with the characters in Forever Knight, individually or in couples, they are also attracted to the distinctive sets and props used on the show. Thus, the Ravenettes (aka Ravens) consider their purview to include Janette's nightclub, the Raven, as well as the character herself. There is also a faction for fans of Nick's car, the CaddyWhackers. Admittedly, as a faction, it tends to be regarded as less than serious. Nevertheless, a number of stories have been written in which the Caddy is a focal feature; the CaddyWhackers have a website; and there are a handful of fans who claim membership in the faction, albeit somewhat tongue in cheek. A number of similar factions have been created for other sets and props: the Thong Throng, for fans who speculate about LaCroix's underwear; the See-Through Knighties, for fans who enjoy the transparency of the nightgown worn by Nick in the flashback in "Near Death"; the Lofties, for fans of Nick's apartment; the Skeletonites, for fans of the articulated skeleton in Dr. Lambert's office; and the R.U.G.s (or Ribena Users Group) for fans who drink Ribena. Although people sometimes claim membership in these factions, they rarely organize lists, groups, or websites, nor do they take part in FK Wars. Couple Factions that are Conceptually Improbable Some couple factions have been created, often in the context of a challenge, simply to see if writers can contrive ways to produce a romantic encounter between two characters who would not, in the ordinary way, be assumed to have any interest in one another. The classic example of this is the UnSuited Challenge, which inspired a number of slash stories in which LaCroix and Schanke became sexually involved. Inevitably, this resulted in the creation of a couple faction, the UnSuiteds, which had a website on which the stories were archived. However, like the stories, this faction was intended to be taken tongue in cheek. Other factions of this type include the Raven's Cellar, the Rat Patrol, and the Unmentionables. As a rule, the faction name is applied adjectivally to the stories. Such factions may, however, create websites to archive the fiction; and there may therefore be fans who claim membership. As such, these are usually considered to be real factions, though treated tongue in cheek. Made-Up Factions Given the wide range of existing factions, it may seem that all possibilities have been covered. However, there are a number of minor characters that never had factions. There are also possible conceptual variants of major factions that never emerged. In the heyday of Forever Knight fandom, a proposal for a new faction or fraction might have been taken seriously, resulting in the establishment of a mailing loop or Yahoo!Group, a collection of fan fiction, and a website. However, in recent years, affiliations have been less significant in the fandom and new factions are no longer being created. For this reason, recent proposals are not intended to be taken seriously. For example, April French suggested Andreivichs as a faction name for people wishing to be affiliated with Nick's nephew, André, who appeared in the third season episode, "Fallen Idol". Certainly, there are other guest characters who do have factions: the INCArnates, for example, are affiliated with the Inca, and the Diviants with LaCroix's daughter, Divia. However, no faction for André was ever proposed seriously: April invented a name for the faction simply as a joke. Similarly, in War 13, Greer Watson mentioned several non-existent factions. Some of these were identified in the posts as never having materialized, including the Feliksities, for fans of Feliks Twist, and the Jenny-Poos, for fans of Jenny Schanke. Others, however, were mentioned in passing as if real. These include the Blue Knighties, History Buffs, and Brabantines. * *